Mystery, surprise & creativity
by Nice-one
Summary: Takes place after 1x19. What happened while Stefan was in the basement? Collection of one-shots between Damon and Elena. After painting, smelly feet, grocery shopping and sudden kisses, the final chapter is now up! Stefan caught them. Oh-oh!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _anything_ in this story. But I knew what I'd pick if I was allowed to own one thing. Fine, _who_ I'd pick. Whatever.

**A/N:** So, I haven't written Vampire Diaries fanfiction before. In fact, I haven't written any kind of fanfiction in a long, long time, so I might be a little rusty and out of shape. This is loosely based on a quote I came across recently (see below) and I personally just love all those little moments between Damon and Elena and wanted to write one of my own. This includes Damon Salvatore being creative and participating in arts and crafts. Seriously. Takes place the day after episode 1x19. Because we didn't get to see what happened after Damon stayed with Elena in the basement and sat down on the floor with her, I filled in the blanks for y'all a little somewhere in this story. Well, like I said: I'm a little rusty and I don't think I really have the characters down yet, but I give myself top marks for trying. Feedback is, as always, very much appreciated.

_**Summary: **__Elena finds out Damon is full of surprises. And also very creative for some reason. And oh yes, that he's still mysterious. One-piece. Takes place the day after 1x19 Miss Mystic Falls._

"_**Mystery is at the heart of creativity. That, and surprise."**_** – Julia Cameron**

_-x-x-x-x-_

_**Mystery, s**__**urprise & creativity**_

Elena sighed as she looked around the crowded schoolyard where dozens of people were taking up all the space, all busy decorating and crafting for the Founders Day events that were coming up. She checked her watch and concluded it was way too early for her to make up an excuse and leave. Even though her participation in town events had been lacking this last year due to her parents death and the current vampire-ish developments in her life taking up her free time, people still expected her to be here. Better yet, they expected her to supervise, be in charge for some reason. She didn't remember signing up for that, but it was like people simply expected it from her. She tried to remember _that_ Elena Gilbert and tried to act like her, but for some reason the memories of that time were a little blurry. That Elena Gilbert no longer existed and it was exhausting trying to be her all the time. She was dying to go back to the boarding house and check on Stefan. He had barely been awake when she saw him this morning and it killed her to see him hurting like that. She shrugged off her worries and tried to focus on the task at hand: painting clouds on the wooden ornaments in front of her on the lunch table. She reached out to the white paint, but accidentally knocked it over when a dark shadow appeared over the table and startled her. Her head shot up and she came face to face with Damon and his signature smirk.

"Morning." He said cockily, tilting his head.

Elena frowned. She leaned on the table, ready to get up, assuming the worst. "What's wrong? Is it Stefan?"

"Relax." Damon sighed, walking over to her side and sitting down next to her. "Brother dearest is still safely locked up in the basement and still very much in a vervain induced coma."

"He still hasn't woken up?"

"Not fully. He keeps slipping in and out of consciousness. Which is a good thing. He was out of it this morning though. After you left I threw your leftover soggy cereal at his head. He didn't even move a muscle."

"You threw cereal at his head?" Elena asked, raising her voice, not believing he would do something childish like that.

"It was within reach." Damon shrugged. "And spitballs just seemed tacky. And it was funny! Or it was supposed to be. I expected him to try and attack me or at the very least tell me to 'stop acting so childish, Damon. God, you're such a child sometimes'." He impersonated his younger brother, voice, movements and all.

"And he didn't even move? How's that a good thing?" Elena asked, ignoring his sarcasm and tricks and focusing on what was really important to her.

"It means he's smart. He should just stay still and try not to move until the vervain has left his body. That way he'll be back to full strength the fastest. Or you know, squirrel-strength in Stefan's case and he can go back to his brooding, dull self."

Elena rolled her eyes at this last comment and instinctively nudged him in the ribs. Damon smirked at the move, which to him showed how comfortable she'd gotten around him the last couple of months.

"So, what are you doing here then?" Elena asked him as she went back to work, taking the pile of paper towels in hand, trying to clean up the mess she'd made with the paint. Damon reached out and took the paper towels from her, causing Elena to frown at the nice gesture as she allowed him to wipe up the paint for her.

"Well, I came here to pick out dinner. It's like a walking, talking and mini-skirt wearing buffet. And I had a sudden craving for swoony schoolgirl. My favorite."

Elena didn't even bother rolling her eyes or giving him a disapproving look. She knew there'd be no point in doing that. She also knew he was kidding. He hadn't fed on a human being in a while now, judging from the lack of suspicious deaths in Mystic Falls lately.

"Had my eyes on a bubbly blonde cheerleader with her delicious neck on display thanks to a very convenient ponytail, but… then I saw you." Damon continued. "Figured you could use the company."

"What made you think that?" She said sarcastically as she looked around the empty table. It was true that she was a bit lonely today. Caroline was working on a project with Matt on the other end of the schoolyard. She and Bonnie weren't exactly on speaking terms at the moment and any other friend she'd ever had, had basically stopped being her friend since her parents died. The one other person in school she could depend on was Stefan and well, he wasn't here either. She was on her own today.

"The looks the witch and Caroline keep throwing you say about enough."

Elena looked around the schoolyard at her two friends and immediately understood the kind of look Damon was referring to. The mixture of disgust, worry and even a little fear, was easily read off their faces.

"I'm pretty sure those are directed at you." Elena told him. "They don't like you very much in case you hadn't noticed."

"Oh, I've noticed. I don't particularly care though. Despite my dashing good looks, people have always taken a liking to my boring, little brother. I personally don't understand it, but I guess my attractive physique is just intimidating to most. Nothing I can do about that. So, what are we painting here?" Damon asked, looking down at the paint and the wood on the table.

"Clouds." Elena sighed, following his gaze. "Blue summer skies."

"This is supposed to be a _cloud_?" He chuckled as he pointed at Elena's attempt.

"It's cloud-_shaped_." Elena said defensively, a little offended by his chuckles. "It'll look fine from a distance."

She reached out to the brush and was ready to dip it in the white paint when Damon interfered. "Give me that." He said, feigning annoyance and impatience as he took the brush from her hand and went to work. Elena watched in amazement as she saw what Damon was doing. A perfect blue sky appeared on the first wooden ornament in a matter of minutes. And they weren't fourth-grader clouds the way Elena had been painting them, it was an actual realistic sky, matching what she would see if she looked up at the real thing right now. Her head turned to Damon.

"I didn't know you could paint." She voiced her amazement.

Damon dropped the brush in the glass of water next to him and turned to Elena. He draped his arm around her shoulder in the carefree, playful manner he had gotten so accustomed to over the last century and a half as he leaned forward a little, looking into her eyes the way he would always try to when he was around her.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, my sweet Elena." He teased, smirking as his other hand went up to her face and his index finger touched the tip of her nose for less than a second.

Elena froze at the gesture, even though she should be used to his ways by now. Naturally, their gazes met and she was once again blown away by the intensity in his breathtaking eyes. She remembered taking in this overwhelming intensity yesterday during the dance they shared and how dangerous it had felt. Addictive almost. She forced herself back to reality though and shrugged off his touch as she looked away. "Don't do that." She murmured almost inaudibly. Damon didn't seem bothered by this as he allowed her to break the one-sided embrace. Instead, he moved a little closer to her so their arms were touching. For some reason Elena did allow this physical contact and she didn't move away like he expected her to.

"There's a lot you pick up in 150 years of being undead." Damon continued, taking the brush back in his hand.

"Knowledge maybe, yes." Elena agreed, picking up the other brush from the table and getting to work alongside Damon. "But something like this takes talent."

"Or practice." He shrugged as he continued to paint, their hands occasionally touching when their brushes moved to the same spot. Neither one of them commented on it. They simply allowed it to happen, all the while sitting so close to each other their shoulders and arms were touching.

"So that's the reason you're good at it? You practiced?" Elena smiled after a short silence.

"What are you smiling about?" Damon smirked, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"It's just…difficult to imagine you painting."

"I'm painting now."

"Yes. But…when you say practice, I imagine you out in a field, painting sunsets and rainbows. It's funny. But that's probably not how it happened, huh?"

Damon threw her an all-saying look as he raised his eyebrows and smirked, not answering the question. Elena couldn't help but smile. Damon surprised her as usual. They hadn't always been good surprises, but today there was something different. For the first time she felt as if there was no ulterior motive for them to be talking. There weren't lives at stake, there wasn't a crisis going on, it was just the two of them sitting here and talking. For no reason whatsoever.

"Thank you." She then spoke.

"For what?" He asked, continuing to paint and not bothering to look up.

Elena shifted slightly, trying to come up with the right words. "For sitting me with now. For sitting with me last night. For carrying me to bed after I'd fallen asleep. For…dancing with me yesterday."

"Ugh. Yes. The trouble I had to go through yesterday. You're right. A thank you _is _in order." He teased. "Has anybody ever told you that you snore?"

"I do not!" She immediately spoke up, hitting Damon on the arm at the ridiculous accusation.

"You do." Damon assured her. "Well, it's not really snoring. It's more like…purring. It's very attractive, actually."

"How did I end up waking up without my sweater and shoes on, by the way?" She changed the subject, eyeing him suspiciously. "I don't remember undressing myself."

"I carried you to bed." Damon shrugged. "You can't have shoes on in bed."

"And the sweater?"

"Don't worry. I peeked first. Made sure you had something on underneath. I saw the tank top and I figured it would be okay if I…"

"What if I hadn't had anything on underneath!" She interrupted him, her eyes growing big at this unnerving realization.

"Free show for me." He shrugged, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Elena shook her head in disbelief. "You're disgusting."

"Disgustingly good looking." He corrected her, nodding. "And I don't see what the big deal is. Nothing I haven't seen before."

Elena threw him a look while shaking her head. Of course a look of this nature made him smirk even more.

"Relax. I didn't see a thing."

Somehow that statement didn't help. Because she wasn't at all uncomfortable with Damon taking care of her the way he had last night, even though she had all the reason to be just that. Everybody who knew Damon would warn her not to trust him, but for some reason she did. With her life even.

"We're getting company." Damon then added and Elena looked over his shoulder to see Matt, Caroline and Bonnie approach. Damon didn't turn around.

"Everything okay here?" Matt asked, genuine concern on his face as he looked at Elena. The threesome gathered around the table.

"Yeah, fine." Elena assured him, trying to smile as she got up from the bench, suddenly uncomfortable sitting so close to Damon in the direct presence of her friends.

"What's he doing here?" Caroline then asked, nodding to Damon.

"Alright. That's my cue to go." Damon said as he got up and turned around. "Always lovely to see you, Caroline. Oh, I'll always remember the good times we had." He teased her in his usual charming way, his hand reaching out to her face, causing Caroline to immediately take a step back, a disgusted look on her face.

"Leave me alone, Damon."

Damon turned to Bonnie. "And you." He started. "I…I'm trying, but I have nothing to say to you."

"Likewise." Bonnie shot back, giving Damon a look that Elena didn't even recognize. There was a lot of hate hidden in there and Elena had never seen Bonnie capable of hating somebody. Damon wasn't impressed though and continued to smirk, causing Elena to fully realize how much he loved it when people disliked him. It was like he fed off it.

Damon turned to the one other guy in their group.

"Matt…" He started. The guy in question shot Damon a look that would've had the power to kill if the person he was directing it at hadn't already been that. Damon seemed to be searching for something to say to him, eventually giving up. "…Just…say hi to your mom, I guess." He then shrugged, turning to Elena.

"I'll see you at home later?" He asked, an amused look on his face, knowing exactly what kind of effect these words would have on the others.

Elena nodded, the mere mentioning of the boarding house causing her to think of her boyfriend and caused her to miss how Damon had just referred to as it as 'home' instead of 'my place'. "Take good care of him, okay?"

"Ugh. You're mistaking me for him. I'll be the one checking the house for something else to throw at his head. Preferably something that will leave a dent in his wrinkled, brooding forehead. Like a shoe or a…brick."

Elena shook her head, giving Damon a disapproving, yet somewhat amused look. She didn't want to, but his attitude had become entertaining to her. She looked right through it by now and knew that even though Damon would never admit it out loud, Stefan would be just fine as long as he was around. And most importantly, Damon knew that she knew this.

"Is Stefan okay?" Caroline asked. "I thought he said he'd be here today?"

"Yeah. He just…he got sick last night. The flu." Elena lied, unable to look at Bonnie while doing so.

"See you back at the house." Damon concluded, stepping forward and reaching out to her side, placing a hand on it as he leaned over and carefully pressed his lips against her cheek, lingering there just a moment too long. His hand then moved a little lower and rested on her hip. While it only lasted a second, it was a provocative move, solely meant to annoy the people in their presence, Elena knew. Yet it was an unexpected feeling as the palm of his hand touched the little bit of bare skin between her shirt and jeans and sent an unwelcome shiver down her spine, not going unnoticed by Damon when their eyes caught each other as he backed away from her. Surprise spread on his face, quickly followed by amusement, causing a spark to form in his eyes. He enjoyed having an effect on her. Elena had to look away. She didn't even understand why. After all, with any other two people a kiss on the cheek like that would've been innocent. Hell, even Matt would say goodbye to her like that. It was an ordinary gesture between two friends who parted ways. But while Elena considered Damon a friend, she could never think of him as ordinary.

"How about some Chinese take-out tonight?" Damon then asked, breaking the tense silence between the group of people.

"Fine." Elena muttered, becoming aware of the others again. She could only imagine what was going through their heads right now.

"Or maybe I'll have them deliver. Such a great invention. A human being actually shows up on your doorstep holding the food of your choice. Win-win situation for the both of us, right?"

Elena couldn't help, but smile a little. "Behave." She told him softly, carefully looking up, forgetting about her surroundings for just a second. She was glad to see the familiar smirk on his face as his hand went up and he waved at her. It was a cocky wave, the way only Damon Salvatore could wave at anybody. With that, he walked off, not saying goodbye to the others. Elena had no choice but to watch him walk away, her eyes glued to his back.

"What was that about?" Matt instantly asked. "Win-win?"

"Ew. I'm just going to come out and say it: that's a creepy love triangle you have going on with those Salvatores, Elena." Caroline spoke up, ignoring Matt. Elena knew Damon heard this too. She tore her eyes away from his back and focused on Caroline.

"Don't be ridiculous." She immediately said, not even wanting the thought to enter her head. She wasn't Katherine and nor would she ever be.

"I hate that guy. He has no business being here." Matt added.

"And you're staying at his house?" Caroline asked as if she couldn't believe it.

"I'm staying with Stefan." Elena clarified, defensively. "Somebody needs to look after him."

Bonnie scuffed and turned her head. Elena was afraid to look at her once best friend.

"I don't like the way Damon looks at you, Elena." Her blonde friend continued. "It's…like you're something to _eat_."

Elena's gaze went back to Damon who had already reached his car, but turned around at Caroline's words that Elena knew he must have overheard. He raised his eyebrows, tilted his head to the side and their eyes locked as the typical Damon Salvatore smirk appeared on his face. It was exactly what Elena expected. She smiled shyly as she turned back to her friends.

"I know you don't want to believe it…" Elena then started, knowing he was still in earshot. "But Damon Salvatore is full of surprises. And they're not all bad."

"Right." Caroline said, rolling her eyes. "Like I said: creepy love triangle. Anyway…why we're here: we need you to come take a look at the costumes for the parade. You're in charge, remember? They were just brought in and…"

Elena nodded slowly, trying to focus on the words coming out of Caroline's mouth. Her gaze automatically went to the familiar car pulling out the parking lot though. _Love triangle._ Ugh. Don't be ridiculous.

-x-x-x-x-

A/N: Please, review. It would mean a lot to me, since I haven't written anything in a long time. ;-) Tell me if it was any good. And constructive criticism is of course welcome too. ;-) Thanks!

Steffanie


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer_:** I don't own anything. Seriously. Nothing. Don't sue.

**A/N: **Wow, what an overwhelming response to the first chapter! I fully intended it to be a one-shot and just slowly make my way back to fanfiction, carefully testing the waters, but you've all been so wonderful and kind and…seriously, those reviews motivated me to write this. So thank you to all of those who left a review. They made me smile and they gave me the confidence to keep writing for this fandom! It's a continuation from the first chapter and I have no idea if this is the end of it or if I'll get inspired to write more of these little moments between Damon and Elena. We'll see how it plays out. However, I do want to stay around and write some more for the Vampire Diaries, so maybe I'll start a new story soon or, like I said: turn this into a series. Or maybe both. Who knows. ;-) Well, I hope you'll enjoy this. It wasn't easy to write. Let me know what you think!

**_"Friendship is a cozy shelter from life's rainy days."_**

-x-x-x-x-

**Fun, distraction & a perfect friend**

Elena emerged from the basement, bringing her hand to her forehead as she tried to figure out where to go from here. She'd never seen Stefan so depressed. The guilt was almost literally consuming him and she knew something had to be done in order to fix this. There had to be a solution. There always was. Right? She closed the door behind her and was surprised to hear two different voices coming from the hallway. The first one was easily identified as the older of the two Salvatore brothers. He had a very distinct voice, filled with just the right amount of natural charm to make many girls weak in the knees, Elena knew that much. She herself even had to admit she wasn't always immune to it. The other, female voice was unknown to her though. She frowned as she headed towards the front door and when she entered the giant hallway she shook her head, holding back a small smile when she realized what was going on. It was so predictable, yet it still amazed her.

"Don't tell me you were a cheerleader back then." Damon's seductive voice sounded through the hallway as he was leaning against the doorpost, legs crossed, and even though Elena couldn't see the look on his face, since his back was turned to her, she could very well imagine what kind of look it'd be.

"I was! Cheerleading Captain actually." The cheery (how appropriate) female standing in the doorway answered excitedly. "How did you know?"

Elena could no longer hold back the smile as she came closer to the front door. The girl delivering their Chinese food was a tall, blonde girl in her early twenties that couldn't be described as anything other than 'bubbly'. The exact type of girl Damon supposedly had his eyes on for 'dinner' earlier today at the High School. She could only imagine the rush Damon was getting out of this. It was almost too much of a coincidence.

"I have an eye for those things." Damon announced to the girl. "And you, Tara, are too beautiful to_ not_ have been a cheerleader in High School."

Elena rolled her eyes at the cliché, but the girl, Tara apparently, giggled at Damon's compliment the way Elena always thought only High School girls could giggle. Well, she was wrong.

"That's a really nice necklace you've got there." Damon continued charming the already smitten girl, reaching out to her neck and Elena was close enough now to see exactly what Damon was focusing on and it wasn't so much the necklace as the body part the necklace was hanging from. She knew Damon had become aware of her presence a while ago, thanks to his heightened vampire senses, so she was convinced all of this was partly just to find out her reaction to his provocative behavior. While she knew this, her reaction was still mostly instinctive as she reached the door and ducked under Damon's arm, crawling through the opening between the doorpost and his body, so she was standing in the very limited space between him and the girl. Elena realized she had not thought this through when she felt her back touching Damon's chest. They were close. Real close. She instantly pushed back those thoughts and focused on her task.

"Food! Finally." Elena exaggerated, taking the paper bag from the girl. Without looking up at Damon she held out her hand in his direction. He instantly got what she wanted though and after several loud, sarcastic sighs and no doubt some rolling of the eyes, he placed the money in her hand. Elena quickly handed it over to Tara who seemed more surprised than anything else, unsure of what had just happened. "Keep the change." Elena smiled, taking a step backwards, pushing against Damon who voluntarily did the same thing, making it possible for her to take the doorknob in hand. She shut the door and instantly turned around to face Damon with an accusing look on her face.

"A little jealous now, are we?" He asked, obviously amused, his usual devilish smirk present, which somehow annoyed Elena. This wasn't about jealousy. He was playing games and this time a girl's life was at stake. Sure, the obvious inspection of the girl's neck was part of an act to get a rise out of her, but he was still a vampire and even jokingly looking at a person's neck was _not_ okay with her.

"I just saved that poor girl's life." Elena countered, giving him another glare, not entirely sure why she was an annoyed as she was. She walked off in the direction of the kitchen.

"Well, that's a bit of an overreaction, don't you think? We were just talking." Damon objected, following her into the kitchen.

"You had your eyes on her neck the entire time, Damon." She sighed, placing the food on the counter as she opened the cupboards in search for some plates.

"And you think I can't contain myself?" Damon spoke up. "I'm hurt, Elena! What am I? A monster?"

She easily picked up on the sarcasm in his voice and stopped what she was doing for just a second to give Damon her most obvious 'duh'-look.

"Alright. Fine." Damon shrugged. "That was a rhetorical question. But I haven't fed on a human in months. Why would I start now?"

"Maybe _because_ it's been months? Because she's the_ exact_ kind of girl you were 'in the mood for' earlier today? Blonde, bubbly? _Cheerleader!_ And because you would rationalize that it couldn't be a coincidence that the same type of girl you passed up on this morning in the schoolyard is now standing on your doorstep and therefore it'd be okay to kill her? I mean, it's practically as if the universe sent her to your doorstep, _wanting_ you to eat her. And it's obviously beyond your control if the universe demands it…" She rambled sarcastically, trying to imitate his train of thought, looking Damon straight in the eye. The amusement in them was replaced by a flicker of surprise for just a second.

"It's like you _know_ me." He smirked, but it wasn't genuine. The smirk was short and was quickly followed by a darkness in his eyes. He really seemed offended for just a second and Elena could only imagine that her words had some truth to them. The exact thoughts she had just voiced had probably gone through his head at some point while talking to the girl just now.

"Scary, isn't it?" She shot back, turning back to the counter and continuing what she was doing. She picked out the food she was in the mood for and put it on her plate, hoping Damon would just go away and leave her alone. Suddenly, a cold shiver ran down her spine and she already knew what was going on before she felt his breath on her neck. He had used his vampire speed to end up directly behind her in less than a second. It was supposed to be a sudden move to throw her off, but he'd used the same trick on her before and she wasn't affected anymore. She hated herself for having to catch her breath though, showing Damon that she still wasn't entirely indifferent to this tricks.

"Someone's in a bad mood." He whispered in her ear. "There's no shame in admitting you were a little jealous, Elena."

Elena forced herself to turn around and not get caught up in his seductive voice. She realized this was a bad move when she ended up face to face with Damon, closer to him than she'd ever been. She knew that simply taking a deep breath would make their lips involuntarily touch. And even his current shallow breathing caused her to feel a soft breeze against her lips and she knew this worked both ways. His breath slightly tickled her lips. His eyes were on hers and she tried her very best to hide how uncomfortable she was with their current pose. She took her time to fully regain her composure, not wanting him to get any more satisfaction out this.

"I'll be eating my dinner down in the basement with Stefan." She then announced, thankful her voice didn't crack, turning back around and taking her plate from the counter.

She truly expected Damon to just let her go, at least for the time being, until he came up with another trick, but she felt his hand around her wrist as she tried to walk away. It wasn't an aggressive touch, it was actually gentle and caring, causing her to look up at him in surprise.

"You've been down there for hours now, Elena. Take a break. Stefan needs his rest too."

There was a sudden sincerity in Damon's voice that Elena didn't think she'd ever heard before. She didn't think she'd ever heard him speak without at least a _little_ sarcasm in his mesmerizing voice. She swallowed, taken aback by his serious and kind words. Damon continued to look at her as he stepped aside a little and motioned to the dining room table. She hesitated, but eventually found herself walking over to it, holding her plate of food and sitting down. Damon was still standing in the same spot, just looking at her.

"I'll be in the living room if you need me." He spoke, starting to walk away.

Elena was surprised by these words. Despite the sincerity in his voice just now, she still expected an old-fashioned ulterior motive. Him wanting to have dinner with her for instance. She felt ridiculous for even thinking it and allowing her ego to be that big, but wasn't that his M.O? Taking every opportunity to try to seduce her? To annoy Stefan? To make her uncomfortable? Didn't he get a kick out of that? She opened her mouth to stop him (she wasn't even sure why), but it was already too late and Damon had left the kitchen. She took her time trying to arrange the conflicting thoughts in her head, pushing away the ones that hit too close to home, before taking her plate in hand, getting up from her seat and walking straight into the living room where Damon, as promised, was sitting on the couch, a full glass of scotch in his right hand. He looked up when she came in, obviously surprised.

"You're not making a lady eat alone, are you?" She then spoke, a small smile forming on her lips as she walked over to the couch and seated herself next to him. She kicked off her boots and threw her legs on the couch, her back against the side of it. She bent her knees so her toes were touching his thighs and she wiggled them slightly. She threw a daring look his way, smiling almost seductively as she took a bite from her food. Damon looked at her for a second, obviously somewhat surprised, then he took her legs and gently stretched them so her feet ended up in his lap. His hand moved to her right foot and his fingertips slowly started tracing small circles on it. All the while their eyes were locked, Elena doing her very best to not allow herself to get pulled into the moment too much. Her mind was rapidly coming up with reasons why this was okay, why this wasn't wrong. She was surprised she was able to come up with a lot of them. Perhaps rationalizing something wrong wasn't that difficult when your eyes were caught in the breathtaking gaze of Damon Salvatore. In fact, right now she couldn't even think of _anything_ that was wrong with this moment. Nothing else mattered. Not right now. His fingertips slowly moved up and down her foot, from her toes to her ankle and back, touching her so lightly that it gave Elena goose bumps, but not in the bad way. Not at all. Suddenly his fingers moved further down and started teasing her, no longer on top of her foot, but underneath it. Elena immediately pulled back her legs, her eyes growing wide as she sat up straight.

"No tickling! Or I'll be back in the kitchen before you can even blink!" She warned him, breaking the silence and with that, breaking one of the most heart-stirring, overwhelming and somehow thrilling moments of her life. But there was also relief in breaking this moment, because it created the possibility of going back to normal. Or as normal as things got with them.

The trademark smirk immediately appeared on his face, accompanied by the spark in his eyes she'd been wanting to see since she walked into the room.

"So you're ticklish, huh?" He then said, raising his eyebrows in a seductive manner. "I'm gonna have to remember that."

Elena couldn't help but chuckle slightly at his words and at the relief that the tense situation was now really over. The annoyance she'd felt with him before, had completely disappeared now and even the odd, unfamiliar, yet thrilling sensation that had taken over her body just seconds ago when his light touch had caused her heart to race, was gone. They were back to being playful and right now that was exactly what she needed. She didn't need bickering, she didn't need games and she sure as hell didn't need anybody to make her doubt her feelings for the younger Salvatore brother who needed her so much right now. She just needed distraction. Fun. A friend. And she counted on the man next to her to give her all of that. He reached out to her legs again, pulling her feet back in his lap. This time he didn't touch them and instead he reassuringly squeezed her leg. It was short and gentle, but it caused Elena to look up and when she looked him in the eye she knew she really could depend on him. Her distraction. Her fun. Her _friend._

"Thanks." She murmured so softly she didn't even hear the word escape her mouth. She knew he picked it up though and that was enough for her.

The silence spread through the room once again and Elena was worried that 'fun and playful' had been replaced by 'dark and serious' again. Damn. She didn't need serious. She didn't need dark. She needed…

"Did anybody ever tell you that you have smelly feet?"

_Thank God._

"Damon!"

"You do. They smell like cheese and _not _the good kind. We're talking full on blue cheese here."

Elena smiled as she tried to come up with a good come-back. Life as it should be. Thanks to Damon Salvatore.

"My feet smell fine, thank you very much. It's just your creepy vampire senses. But I suppose your feet smell like roses all the time then?" She asked, sarcastically.

"Alright. I'll take that as a challenge." He smirked, leaning over to take off his shoes and socks.

Elena sat up straight, placing her feet firmly on the ground as she watched what he was doing with sincere disgust on her face.

"Ew. Damon, no! You know I hate feet. Please don't…" She pleaded, but she couldn't hold back a smile as she carefully set aside her plate of food, pretty sure of what was coming next.

"You asked for it." He shook his head, not giving in. "So now you're going to smell them and admit out loud that roses have _nothing_ on my feet. In fact, you'll admit you've never smelled _anything_ better than my feet."

"Never…"

A few seconds later she was shrieking and laughing as she was on the run from a barefooted Damon Salvatore who was chasing her through the big house. Yup. He'd done it again. The perfect amount of fun. The perfection distraction. Her perfect friend. She knew nobody would believe this side of Damon Salvatore existed. And truth be told, she kind of liked keeping him to herself.

-x-x-x-x-

**A/N: **Alright. Hopefully this wasn't horrible. ;-) And I'd just like to point out that reviews really motivated me to write this, so...I'm just saying, that might work again. ;-)

This was kind of a challenge to write, considering I really do hate feet. As in, I can't even _look_ at feet. And I don't get the appeal of feet either. They're gross and weird. So I have no idea what has gotten into me to write this. No idea, whatsoever. Just so you know.

Thank you so much for reading!

Steffanie


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own The Vampire Diaries or any of the characters. Don't sue. Please.

**A/N: **Oh my, could it be? I updated? Really? Yup. I did. Can't believe it myself. I don't consider myself a real writer. Inspiration comes and goes with me and I really do write as I please. But all the awesome reviews and people putting this story in their favorites or on author/story alert really made me feel like I should give it a shot to write more. I failed the first 37 times, but I actually finished something now. I'm not sure it even fits in with this story, but it's here and it's something. I really, really hope I'm not letting any of you down with this. It's not very detailed and most of it is dialogue, but I wasn't motivated enough to write this any other way. I guess it's a continuation from the previous two chapters, but the actual continuation might be a bit off. Jenna and Alaric are in this and they're like a couple here and I'm not sure when that happened on the show. So, just work with me, please. Thanks in advance. And please keep those wonderful reviews coming. They truly are the sole reason this chapter is up right now. They make me smile!

Little warning: I didn't read this over and over and over again before putting it up here, like I usually do. I'm pretty sure some mistakes in spelling or grammar are in this. Sorry about that. Just didn't have the patience.

Also, how excited are all of you for September 9th? I watched the preview they showed at Comic-Con and I thought I couldn't breathe! So insanely excited about the second season. Can't remember last time I was this obsessed with a show (fine, I can. It was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was 10. Happy now?). I blame Damon and his sexy ass. ;-) And abs.

_**Summary: **__An act of kindness gone bad. Elena and Damon in the grocery store. He's not nice. Especially not that nice. Get a grip, Elena._

"_**We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.**_**" -Epictetus **

-x-x-x-x-

_**An act of kindness**_

Elena absent mindedly walked the deserted aisles, pushing the cart forward, but barely paying attention to her surroundings. She had been feeling more than a little distracted lately with everything that was going on and she even had trouble remembering why she had come here in the first place. Wait. Groceries. Right. She made a list. She reached into her back pocket and got out the crumpled piece of paper. She had to squint slightly to read her bad handwriting in the dim lights of the grocery store. It was late at night and there was no daylight to light up the space. She sighed as she tried to register the things on the list in her mind and closed her eyes for a second to succeed in doing this wile turning the corner, instantly bumping into somebody with her cart. Her eyes shot open.

"Sor…" She started to apologize, stopping mid-sentence as she saw who it was. He turned around, his devilish smirk present, showing he was obviously not surprised. He'd probably heard her come around the corner and just didn't bother to move.

"Well, that was a little rude."

"Damon." She stated, sighing. "What are you doing here?"

"Found your note. Realized I needed some stuff too."

"You could've called. I would've picked them up for you." Elena offered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Already got it." Damon shrugged as he held up a plastic bag. "From the liquor store next door."

"As if you don't have an entire cabinet filled with liquor at the house." She asked, skeptically.

"I'm in the mood for some decent Bourbon. Was fresh out of that." Damon explained.

She nodded slowly. "Yet, you came into the grocery store. Needed anything else?"

"Nope. Just figured you could maybe use a hand. Or two."

"I'm fine." She assured him, focusing on the grocery list again. She was just desperate to get home and get to bed. She couldn't remember last time she had been this tired. Before she knew what happened the list had disappeared out of her hand and when she looked up Damon was nowhere to be seen. She looked around, a confused look on her face.

"Damon?" She called out. Naturally, there came no response. Already getting an idea about what was going on she started to walk again, pushing the cart, trying to track him down. Barely two aisles later, in the middle of the frozen food section he suddenly appeared in front of her, holding several items in his hands, dropping them in the cart, before handing her back the list.

"All done." He announced.

"Thanks." She murmured. "Now we can get out of here."

She realized the relief in the tone of her voice and didn't like it one bit. She hated showing vulnerability like that. Damon took a step forward, now standing right next to her, placing a hand over hers that was resting on the cart. She looked up at the gesture and saw something unfamiliar in Damon's eyes. Could it be that he was worried?

"What?" She asked.

He slightly tilted his head, never removing his hand, his eyes still focused on hers. "There's something wrong."

"No, there isn't." Elena objected. "I'm fine. A little tired, that's all."

Damon didn't respond to that as he just kept looking right at her, making Elena a little uncomfortable. It was as if he was searching for something. Like he was surprised.

"Wait right here." He announced, already gone before Elena had the chance to reply. This time she refused to look around in confusion, knowing she'd only look silly. She should know better by now than to be impressed by his little vampire tricks. Truth was, it was still a little overwhelming at times. She turned her head to the right and examined herself in the reflection of the windows in front of the frozen meals. It was merely a way to pass the time, since the way she looked hadn't been as important as it used to be lately. Somehow wearing foundation or even eyeshadow seemed less important than lives being at stake.

Within seconds she spotted the reflection of the happy couple behind her and hated herself for seriously wondering if it was too late to hide. When had she turned into that person? Hiding from family. Still, she contemplated it until it was too late.

"Elena!" Her aunt's voice sounded from behind her.

She turned around and tried to smile.

"Aunt Jenna!" She exclaimed, trying to match the enthusiasm in her voice to her aunt's. "Mr. Saltzman."

"Elena." Ric smiled, his arm around Jenna's waist.

"She's alive!" Jenna joked. "I was beginning to think Stefan had locked you in the basement in that place. You should've called."

"I should've." Elena agreed. "Sorry about that."

"How's Stefan? Getting better?"

"Yes. The fever is going down." She lied, not able to look Jenna in the eye while doing so.

"Good, good."

"So, you're doing a little late night shopping of your own, aren't you?" Ric asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, we are almost done, actually." Elena nodded to the stuff in the cart.

"We?" Jenna asked, frowning. "Is Stefan…"

She didn't get the chance to finish that sentence as Damon Salvatore came around the corner. Jenna's mouth almost dropped at the sight.

"Jenna. Ric." Damon stated, unimpressed, as he reached the cart.

"What did you get?" Elena asked, nodding to the stuff in his hands.

"Nothing important." He shrugged, dropping the stuff in the cart and turning to the couple. "So…a little late night shopping, huh? Romantic evening planned? Some wine, a wide variety of foreign cheeses? A Michael Bublé CD?"

"None of your business, Damon." Alaric announced.

"Oh, you wound me, Ric. What's a guy to do to get a little love around here?"

"How about what _not_ to do?" The teacher shot back, causing Jenna to look up and raise an eyebrow at Ric's sudden and to her mysterious words.

Elena had missed most of the conversation between Alaric and Damon as she was focusing on what the latter had just dropped into the cart.

"Damon…what is all this?" She asked, seriously intrigued as she reached into the cart. "Butterscotch candy?"

Damon seemed a little annoyed as he looked away from Ric to Elena. "Well, you like butterscotch, don't you?" He asked curtly, almost defensively.

"It's her favorite." Jenna jumped in, her tone suspicious.

"It is." Elena nodded. "How did you know?"

"You mentioned it once." Damon shrugged.

"Not recently." Elena continued, holding on to the butterscotch.

"It's just butterscotch, Elena. Almost everybody likes it. _I_ like it."

"I hate it." Ric stated.

"What's wrong with you?" Jenna asked, smiling.

Elena dug into the cart again and got out a bag of marshmallows. Damon noticed and sighed. "Don't go sentimental on me. I actually listened to the words that came out of your mouth yesterday. _Shocking_."

"A little shocking." Elena nodded, suddenly remembering how she told Damon last night that one of these days they'd have to light the fireplace and get some marshmallows. She also vividly remembered Damon rolling his eyes at her and stating that while at it, maybe she could get Stefan to sing Kumbaya with her, before exiting the room.

"…Cookie Dough ice-cream!" Jenna suddenly exclaimed, also looking into the cart. "The ultimate comfort food. Remember when we decided on that, Elena?"

At the mere mentioning of comfort food a light bulb went on in Elena's head as it shot up at Damon. Was that was this was? Comfort food? Because he thought something was wrong with her? Damon seemed to notice that she finally made the connection and he seemed more annoyed than anything else, probably caused by the presence of her aunt and Alaric. Heaven forbid somebody might actually figure out that he's not always the jerk he appears to be. Elena's gaze went back to the cart to take in the other stuff he'd gotten her. Rice crispy treats. She had a vague flashback of sitting in Stefan's lap at the boarding house, what must have been months ago. She was eating these exact rice crispy treats and telling Stefan there would never come a day where she wouldn't love them. Hadn't Damon entered the room not long after? She spotted the chocolate chip cookies ("Whoever invented these deserves a medal." "I think I actually knew the guy back then. Arrogant little bastard. They're just cookies. He didn't cure cancer."), the cans of Dr. Pepper ("So addictive and delicious." "Wait, are you talking about the Dr. Pepper or me now?") and the 'People' Magazine that she only bought when her budget allowed it, but once upon a time very openly expressed her love for when Damon was in the room. Her eyes once again moved to Damon, who was obviously uncomfortable. Jenna and Alaric followed the scene in front of them with sincere interest.

"Thank you." Elena voiced, not even fully aware of the presence of anybody else other than her and Damon.

"Yes, I went through a few aisles in a grocery store and grabbed some stuff that 99 percent of all women would appreciate. I _am_ the Romeo to your Juliet." Damon spoke sarcastically, shaking his head. "Whatever you're thinking, get a grip, Elena. You're confusing me with my brother."

"Is she? I don't see Stefan around." Ric jumped in.

"Ah, the teacher puts his two cents in. Alert the media." Damon continued. "Ric, you and I should get together sometime and discuss that dead wife of yours again. Fun times."

"Hey!" Jenna spoke up.

"Damon…" Elena spoke softly, closing her eyes.

"It's okay, Elena." Ric spoke. "I think it's time Jenna and I leave."

"And I think you should come with us, Elena." Jenna added, a worried expression on her face.

"I'll be home tomorrow." Elena promised. "Really."

Jenna gave Damon a glare that Elena had only rarely seen and was usually reserved for cheating and lying ex-boyfriends. Part of her admired her aunt for not being intimidated by Damon the way most people were. Especially when he got like this. Part of her feared it too, considering the person she was directing said glare at was a merciless killer who had murdered people for much less than a glare.

"Well, nice to talk to you, Elena." Ric smiled. "Damon…always a pleasure."

"Pleasure's all mine, Ric. The offer still stands, by the way."

"I'll keep that in mind." He nodded, obviously trying to keep his composure.

Jenna's gaze moved to Elena. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay? First thing."

"First thing." Elena promised.

Jenna managed to squeeze out a smile, before taking Ric by the hand and walking off. They both turned around once more as they turned the corner, but neither Elena nor Damon had moved. When Elena was sure they were out of sight and earshot, she turned to Damon and hit him in the arm.

"What is wrong with you?" She exclaimed.

"Very little." Damon smirked. "Actually, my flaw is that I have so few flaws. Perfection is intimidating."

"You're an ass!"

"Have heard that one before. Hardly ever ended well though."

"You don't scare me, Damon! Seriously. What is wrong with you? Would it be that bad if somebody actually noticed that you're _not_ always a monster?"

"First an ass, now a monster…the plot thickens. How will this end for the pretty brunette?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It will end with the pretty brunette never speaking again to the psychopathic vampire!" She shot back. "Get out my way."

Naturally these words caused Damon to step in front of the cart, making it impossible for her to leave, completely blocking her exits.

"Just because I know what you like, Elena, doesn't mean I'm not a monster. _Or_ an ass. I'm a vampire. I have vampire senses and surprisingly a vampire memory. Ask me what I did in 1934 and I could tell you in great detail. Won't be pretty though. Not a good year. So don't blow this out of proportions."

"I'm not." Elena then spoke, her voice soft. "I was down, you tried to fix it. Your vampire memory has nothing to do with _that_."

Damon groaned in frustration. "I'm not nice, Elena! I am not that guy."

"I'll be the judge of that." She warned him. "Can we leave now?"

Of course Damon didn't miss how she now said 'we' and a small smile appeared on his face. "Let's enjoy the frozen food section for a few more minutes. My buddy Ric and your aunt are only three aisles away. Let's avoid any more confrontations."

"Or…let's seek them out so you can apologize." Elena stated, crossing her arms and giving him a look.

"Yeah…don't push your luck." Damon smirked, leaning over and draping his arm around Elena's shoulder which she surprisingly allowed. She sighed and closed her eyes though, unable to figure out how she let him get away with things like this.

"Fight over?" He asked, an amused look on his face.

"Truce." She immediately answered. "For now."

Damon simply chuckled.

Damn him.

-x-x-x-x-

**A/N:** Hmm…the ending was a little rushed, I know. I seriously don't know how I feel about this. But I'd love for you to tell me what you think. Doesn't matter if it's good or bad. Well, like always I can't make any promises when it comes to updating this or not. I'll try. I really will. Writing can be a struggle for me sometimes.

Oh and I hope I didn't offend any Michael Bublé fans. I like him. I do. Damon apparently doesn't. What can you do? ;-)

Also, what's the deal with Dr. Pepper? Delicious or disgusting? I can't figure it out. Little bit of both?

Well, thanks for reading! Really means a lot to me!

Steffanie


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Look at me! Once again scaring the crap out of myself. An update. However, the sad news would be that this is actually the end of this story. The good news is that it's a two-parter, so there's another chapter coming. I've already written it, so I'll update it soon. This chapter is probably a little darker than the previous ones and a little less innocent in the sense that I very much stuck to the friendship-phase before and now might actually be crossing over into a little bit more.

I know there's another chapter coming, but I already want to thank everybody who took the time to read this and review. I've said it before and I'll say it again: it means the world to me. I'm pretty sure I've replied to every single one of your reviews and said something similar, but still. The feedback has been overwhelming and an amazing motivation to continue.

Also, this was my very first Vampire Diaries fic and I know I'm still searching and learning about the characters and that this story might just feel like a collection of one-shots and not really a story with amazing continuation, but…I'll get the hang of it eventually. I've learned that my mood is a huge influence on the atmosphere of the chapter and I kind of wished it wasn't. I wished I could've made it more coherent, like it all fitted in with each other. But trust me, I'll keep trying. Hopefully you still enjoyed this and will be patient with me, since I'm very much dedicated to keep writing for this fandom, but can't promise you how or when. I just hope you will all stick around and will be there when I decide to start something new.

Now…on with the chapter! Part 1 of 2…

"_**The best protection for the people is not necessarily to believe everything people tell them" -**_**Demosthenes**

-x-x-x-x-

**Seize the day**

Elena threw aside the dirty white sheet and reached out for the clean one. Was there a more annoying chore than changing the bed? The sheet would never stay on right, as if it got smaller every time you used it, she always struggled with the pillow cases and especially with a big bed like this one it was just a terrible chore all around. She sighed when the sheet jumped off the upper corners and she crawled on the bed, getting ready for take two.

"Need a hand?" A familiar voice sounded.

Elena looked up and found Damon leaning against the doorpost of Stefan's bedroom, the well-known smirk decorating his face.

"No, I got it, thanks." Elena politely declined, turning back to the bed. "…I think."

"Changing the bed is a bitch, huh?"

"And yet it has to be done every once in a while." She sighed.

"And heaven forbid you'll actually accept some help when offered." Damon smirked, entering the room. "You want to talk about it then?"

"About changing the bed?" Elena asked, looking up, frowning.

"About those dried-up tears on your cheeks. About the not-so-fun conversation I overheard between you and Stefan earlier. And about the connection between those two."

"You heard us?"

"Vampire, remember?" Damon shrugged.

Elena gave up on the sheet for the time being as she swung her legs over the bed and looked down. Damon sat down next to her and a short silence fell. She wasn't entirely surprised he had overheard them and she wasn't surprised he noticed she'd been crying. It was difficult to keep things from him.

"I left the door unlocked, but he won't come out." She then spoke, even though she was well aware Damon already knew that, considering he'd overheard the conversation.

"Classic Stefan. Always feeling sorry for himself. Always consumed by guilt. It's so boring."

"I don't know what to say or do to make this right." Elena shook her head. "And he won't eat anything…"

"Yes, that could become a problem." Damon agreed.

"I look at him…and I keep searching for a hint of the Stefan I know, but…"

"It'll be fine. Stefan doesn't get the chance to be melodramatic as often as he wants. This is his moment to shine. We should just go with it."

"You really think he'll come around?" Elena asked, looking up at him for the time since he sat down next to her.

"He's stubborn, but he's not an idiot. He'll figure out he's got enough to live for eventually."

"So I just wait?"

"No." Damon spoke. "You continue to do what you're doing. Being there for him. Trying to talk sense into him."

"I've _been_ trying, Damon…" She suddenly spoke up, a faint hint of desperation shining through. "It just feels so…hopeless."

"Hey…" Damon interrupted her, turning to her and placing a finger under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "Don't do this to yourself. We both know that I'm not my brother's biggest fan…understatement of the decade, right there…but I know him. And I know how he feels about you and I know there's no way in hell he'll ever give that up. He knows he's the luckiest undead guy on the planet to have you. He's not dumb enough to walk away from that. And if he tries, I'll kick his ass. Simple as that. Only a complete moron would give you up. And unfortunately I have to give Stefan more credit than that."

Elena had taken in his speech while looking him in the eye. It was an inevitable thing between them. As if their eyes were always drawn to each other. It also give her the opportunity to read him and see beyond his tough exterior. She could tell this speech had been nothing but genuine and it scared her. If he meant the words that came out of his mouth, did that mean that he really cared for her? More than she knew? Perhaps even more than he knew? His hand that had been touching her face for the entire speech finally lowered, but Elena didn't look away. She couldn't. Didn't even want to. Because she had never felt more loved than right now. She was eager to accept Damon's words and believe that Stefan loved her more than anything, but she also didn't shy away from the belief that it wasn't just the younger Salvatore that loved her. She thought it would be harder to accept that, deal with that, but it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

She startled herself when her face started to move closer to his. She wasn't sure if it was an intentional move, but she instantly knew what he would take it for. A hint of surprise washed over him for less than a second, then he made a move of his own, giving Elena literally seconds to make up her mind. However, she realized she was also moving in closer and closer now, before even arranging her thoughts. Was it comfort she was looking for? Was this her twisted way of thanking him for everything he'd done for her lately? Or was it something else altogether? She couldn't be sure and there wasn't enough time to figure it out.

Just when their lips were about to touch, he was surprisingly the one to change directions, as he gently placed a kiss on her forehead as if that had been his intention the whole time. Elena now feared it really had been, even though deep down she knew better. She took a deep breath, knowing she'd forgotten to breathe the past minute.

Damon got up from the bed and turned to the desk.

"What's this?" He asked casually as he walked over to the antique globe that was normally in Stefan's closet and hardly ever saw daylight. "I can assure you this is not the best globe to study countries off. This thing is ancient. Half of the countries are missing and don't even get me started on the old-fashioned spelling. Ric will give you an F in a heartbeat."

"Mr. Saltzman is a History teacher. I doubt he'd care." Elena corrected Damon as she also got up from the bed, trying to recover from their intimate moment that occurred only seconds ago. "And I wasn't studying. Just…daydreaming."

"About what?" Damon asked, spinning the globe as he turned to face Elena, leaning against the desk.

"Getting away. Traveling. Seeing places."

"Is that what you want? To get away?"

"No." She instantly replied. "Or yes. Sometimes."

"Where would you go?"

"Europe." She replied immediately and truthfully.

"Ugh. Europe is entirely overrated."

"You've been there?" She asked, as she reached him and took her place next to him, also leaning against the desk. Their arms were now touching and it felt like a risky move, considering he'd just turned her down. She wasn't even sure why she did it. She was mostly relieved the kiss hadn't happened. Mostly.

"Yup. Pretty much all of it. Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Berlin, Rome…"

"What's Paris like?"

"Lately? I can't tell you. Fifty years ago? Pretty dull. The Eiffel tower was alright. Didn't really like the people though. With their mustaches and their baquettes and their irrational hatred towards Americans."

"That's not true."

"Fine. Hatred towards the _undead_ Americans then. I liked the girls there though. They were so elegant and if I remember correctly, they tasted like honey."

Elena chuckled as she softly elbowed him in the ribs, causing Damon to smirk.

"I shouldn't laugh about that. You killed those girls." Elena suddenly objected, surprised by her own chuckles.

"Fifty years ago. And dead is dead. No point in feeling guilty about _that_ anymore." Damon shrugged.

"That'd be your life motto, huh?"

"Well, _that_ and…seize the day. I'm clichéd like that." He winked.

A short silence fell as Elena contemplated those words and considered what she was to say next.

"Then why didn't you just now? Seize the day?"

Damon turned towards, looking straight at her as he seemed to hesitate before opening his mouth.

"Other than the fact that you apparently think very highly of yourself, just assuming that kissing you is something I want…It'd be taking advantage of a vulnerable girl. We both know it's not me that you want and that you'd regret it. And knowing me, I'd probably use that kiss to blackmail you or annoy Stefan or whatever it is that I do…Figured it'd be better to avoid those ugly situations."

"How noble of you." Elena spoke sarcastically.

"Hey, I'm trying to be a better person here. Give me some credit for that." Damon smirked.

"Well…" Elena spoke carefully. "I think you're the one jumping to assumptions here, thinking that kissing you is something I'd regret."

"Wouldn't you?" He immediately jumped in as their eyes locked.

" …I don't know. Probably."

"Probably, huh?"

"Probably." She said softly, slightly nodding.

This time it was him who started to lean in and Elena had to catch her breath. What was she doing? This was completely unlike her. But for some reason she couldn't think of a reason to back away. Stefan popped into her head and while she felt pain in her heart while doing so, it wasn't him that had treated her well these last few days. She remembered the moments between her and Damon and how he had been taking care of her and she felt a warmth inside of her that she didn't think Damon could ever make her feel. She wasn't sure what it was or if she should even try to explain it, but fact was that she didn't turn away and allowed him to come closer. His hand moved to her cheek and his touch sent a shiver down her spine, just as their lips touched. She was ready to get lost in the moment when all of a sudden….

"Elena?"

Damon and Elena practically jumped apart as they looked up at the doorway.

"Stefan..."

-x-x-x-x-

**A/N:** I'm evil, aren't I? Major cliffhanger here. I can't promise you a happy Delena ending, considering I truly do believe in the true love between Stefan and Elena, but I can promise you that even the die-hard Damon/Elena fans will enjoy the final chapter. Happy ending or not. So…take comfort in the fact that I've already written the next chapter, so this time it's not a question of will I continue, because I already have. ;-) Huh. How about that. Anyway, I apologize if this seems a little OOC. I mean...would she kiss him? Really? Would she? I just don't know. But it had to happen. ;-)

Feedback = love!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** The last part as promised! Hopefully you'll enjoy it and hopefully it won't be a letdown. Just wanted to clear up that I'm not necessarily a Stefan/Elena fan. I just don't want to dismiss what they have. ;-) That's all. Delena all the way!

Thanks for all the amazing reviews and for hanging in there when I didn't update in a while. I'll be back writing for TVD soon. I hope. I think. And please let me know your opinion on this final chapter! It would be greatly appreciated!

-x-x-x-x-x-

A sudden panic washed over Elena as her gaze went from one Salvatore brother to the other. Oh, God. Was this really happening? Had she become her own worst nightmare? Caught between the two brothers? Was she Katherine? While her gaze kept moving between Stefan, whose facial expression simply broke her heart and Damon, who also looked seriously panicked, she realized the two of them we**r**e only focused on each other.

"Stefan…" Damon spoke. "I swear, this isn't what it…Oh, who am I kidding? This is _exactly_ what it looks like."

Damon went from vulnerable and panicked to arrogant and well, _him _in less than a second and Elena realized his panic had all been an act. She wanted to close her eyes and wished the ground would swallow her, but did that ever happen when you wanted it to? Next thing she knew Stefan's gaze filled up with rage as he attacked Damon, catching him by surprise and easily wrestling him to the ground. While they moved at vampire speed at times, it became painfully obvious that Stefan was the weaker one. He hadn't eaten in days and on top of that he was still weakened from the vervain. Not to mention that Damon was always stronger in the first place, due to his non-vegetarian diet.

"Stop it!" Elena yelled out as she watched the bloodshot eyes and the fangs come out. Punches were thrown back and forth and Elena realized the only one groaning or suffering was Stefan. "Damon! You'll kill him!"

Suddenly everything went quiet and when Elena dared to look she saw how the two brothers were on the floor, Damon on top of Stefan, his hand around his throat, holding him down, while Stefan was growling and desperately trying to get up.

"Okay. You just ruined a perfectly good shirt." Damon stated, visibly annoyed by this fact. "And for no good reason at all. Not only did you wear yourself out so much that you're now practically on the verge of death, there is also absolutely nothing going on that should concern you, which you'd know if you'd taken a good enough look at your girlfriend."

A short silence fell as both Stefan and Elena tried to understand what he was saying. Then Stefan's head moved slightly towards her and their eyes met. His gaze then moved a little lower and that's when it hit him. That's when it hit her. Her hand went up to her neck , but she realized it before she felt it. Her necklace wasn't there. Her eyes grew big as her gaze moved to Damon, who simply raised his eyebrows and smirked.

"Don't look at me. I have no idea where you left the damn thing."

Damon had compelled her? All of this had been nothing but a trick? That's why she had wanted to kiss him? Why she'd felt so drawn to him? Compulsion? She tried to remember where she left her necklace, considering she never took it off. Not when she went to bed and not when she took a shower, never. Unless…well, she had been pretty distracted lately. She could've taken it off before a shower without even realizing the way she took off all her other jewellery before a shower. She'd taken a shower right after she came out of the basement that morning. To wash off the less than satisfying conversation with Stefan. Could it be? Had she really been that stupid?

"See? Nothing to worry about. Nothing's changed. All is right in the world. _I'm _the jackass here. And this was the perfect opportunity. I heard you walking upstairs…How could I possibly resist? Not that I have to rely on compulsion to get a girl to want me…but let's just say a little rush was in order when I heard you on the stairs, little brother. But don't worry…you're safe. For now. Elena didn't do a thing."

Elena was surprised to see the satisfaction and enjoyment on Damon's face. How could he do this to her? Compel her? To get to Stefan?

Damon started to get up and released his hold on Stefan, who then used his last strength to pull Damon back to the ground, this time him on top his older brother.

"Get out. And stay the hell away from Elena." He hissed, holding on to Damon's already torn shirt.

Damon simply chuckled before taking back control and very easily lifting Stefan and throwing him against the back wall. Elena was pretty sure she heard the wall crack (she prayed it was the wall) before Stefan hit the floor, too weak to get up. Damon then got to his feet, fixed his shirt the best that he could, before turning to Elena.

"It was a pleasure." He teased, a mocking and almost evil glimpse in his eyes. Then he casually walked out the door, slamming it closed behind him.

Elena didn't hesitate as she rushed to Stefan's side.

"Stefan!" She spoke up, trying to help him out. He was too weak though and it was already enough trouble to sit up. He groaned in pain, but he pulled Elena closer, softly kissing her hair.

"It's okay." He whispered. "I'm fine."

She allowed Stefan to pull her into an embrace as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry." She spoke, almost crying now.

"Ssshh. You didn't do anything. It's okay."

They stayed like that for a few minutes as Elena took in a deep breath. As the quiet surrounded them, Elena's mind wandered to the events of the last five minutes and an uneasy feeling crept up inside of her. She thought back to the moment before Stefan walked in, her feelings, her thoughts, her actions…and it hit her so unexpectedly, she literally had to catch her breath. Damon didn't compel her. He easily could've, but she knew he didn't. She knew her own feelings and she knew exactly what had happened and compulsion wasn't involved. Real tears started to flow now as she couldn't stop them from rolling down her cheeks. She then changed her mind, already feeling guilty enough as it was and she regained her composure and looked up at Stefan. She was shocked to see how weakened and in pain he was and then she remembered Damon's words. He was practically near death.

"..You need to eat." She spoke, her voice cracking as she swallowed away the guilt.

"Yeah, I think I do." Stefan nodded slowly with his last strength.

Elena struggled to get to her feet. "I'll get you some blood from downstairs. There's some animal blood in the fridge."

Stefan nodded again, as he leaned back against the wall. She stood and watched him for a few seconds, then she turned around as she headed to the door.

"Elena…" Stefan's weak voice sounded and she instantly turned around. "I love you."

Her heart broke at those words.

"…I love you too." She whispered. And she meant it. She really did.

Then she disappeared out the door.

-x-x-x-x-

Only hours later, she was sitting on her own front porch on the wooden bench, her feet not touching the ground. She simply stared into space, her thoughts all over the place. Stefan was back at the boarding house and she knew he was going to be okay. She'd fed him the entire animal blood supply they had and Stefan had assured her that after a good night's sleep he'd have enough strength to go out and hunt and fully get back on his feet. There was no point in staying there any longer, considering Stefan was asleep and needed all the rest he could get. Besides, the guilt inside of her had been too much and was even worse when she was around him. Damon hadn't compelled her. She was convinced of that now.

She wasn't surprised when she felt a gush of wind and Damon suddenly appeared next to her. He sat down too and the twosome sat in silence for a while.

"I see you've decided to go back to accessorizing." He then spoke, referring to her vervain necklace that was safely around her neck again.

"Yeah." She nodded. "Apparently there's a vampire out there who's not afraid to compel me."

"It's what I do, Elena. You can't be surprised." He shrugged.

Elena sighed as she turned to him, now looking him in the eye.

"You didn't compel me, Damon."

"How can you be so sure?" He asked, cockily.

"You didn't compel me." She repeated, calmly.

"Believe what you need to believe." He shrugged, unimpressed.

"Would you cut it out? Drop the act? You didn't compel me! You could've, but I know you didn't. I wanted to kiss you and you wanted to kiss me."

"Well, well, well…I guess the compulsion hasn't entirely worn off yet." Damon smirked, but not for long as Elena instinctively slapped him in the face. It wasn't the first time she'd done that, but this she got more satisfaction out of it than the times before.

"You're an ass!" She exclaimed. "Are you _that_ scared of actually showing you care? We both know what happened back there and it wasn't because you compelled me."

For once Damon didn't have comeback and the two returned to the silence.

"But you did hear Stefan come upstairs, didn't you? I guess that worked out perfectly." She sighed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Kiss the girl and piss off your little brother in the process. Classy, Damon."

Another silence.

"I didn't compel you." He then finally admitted, his voice softer than she'd ever heard it.

"I know."

"And I didn't hear Stefan. I guess I was…distracted."

_Caught up in the moment_, she added in her head at Damon's vulnerable words. She could relate to that.

"I wanted to kiss you." He continued. "And when Stefan caught us…I…I mean, I noticed you weren't wearing your necklace the moment I walked in the room…It seemed the perfect cover-up. I guess I hoped you'd believe it too."

"Why?"

"To fix things for you. Get you off the hook. We both know I'm not the one you want."

Elena sighed. "Again with the assumptions."

This seemed to surprise Damon as he looked at her. "Am I wrong?"

"…I don't know…" She spoke truthfully, shrugging.

"So now what?" He asked.

"…I don't know…"

Silence.

"I'm not Katherine." She then added. "I won't be Katherine."

"…Good…"

When they returned to silence they both knew neither one of them was going to break it. They sighed simultaneously and Elena leaned over a little, resting her head against his shoulder for just a second. When she sat up again, the space next to her was empty again. He had gone away as fast as he'd come. As if he'd never even been there. As if nothing had happened.

If only…

-x-x-x-x-

**A/N: **And that's it! I'm a little sad it's over, but I know I won't continue. Please review and stick around for when I'll be back with a new story!

Thanks again for everything and all your kind words! You're all so awesome I wish I could bake you all a lot of cookies!

Steffanie


End file.
